Changing of the Garden

Henkel Denmark creates a suburban oasis that provides year-round enjoyment

Written by Bridget Williams

Suburban desert to verdant oasis is how homeowner Jim Parsons describes the transformation of the landscape at the Chevy Chase-area home he shares with his wife Debbie and their daughter. According to Jim, when he purchased the home five years ago, the backyard was “an absolute mess, full of clay and just awful.” Seeking privacy from the encroachments of suburbia as well as year-round color and usability, Jim turned to Bill Henkel, ASLA, and founding partner of Henkel Denmark, with whom he’d collaborated on his previous residence. “Bill understood my tastes and I knew exactly what he could bring to the table,” Jim said.

Some four years after the project’s completion, Jim continues to be elated with the results, which completely transformed the front and rear landscapes into a suburban garden oasis. “The home was lovely but needed a bit of character in the front, so we put in a wall to frame the motor court area and give it dimension,” Bill explained. The area was then filled in with Asian maple trees and Pachysandra.

With a trio of neighboring yards abutting their property, obtaining a feeling of privacy was the homeowner’s top priority. With the exception of a lone evergreen and a wire fence at the property line, the bear sloping lot presented a blank canvas.

“Jim and Debbie love texture, movement and seasonal changes,” said Bill.

Retaining walls and sit walls provide varied planting beds and places to sit and admire the perennials. A meandering walking path, subtly illuminated at night serves as an invitation to find out what awaits at the next bend.

Bill describes the landscape as “an intense garden that’s right in your face even from inside the house.” A screen porch and grilling porch were added for bug-free garden experiences. Because the area was so densely planted, it maintains its covetable feeling of intimacy and privacy even in winter.

Speaking of winter, as a self-confessed “Christmas crazy guy”, Jim requested a pine tree in the backyard that is visible from the neighboring yards. When December rolls around, Jim decks out the tree with colorful lights and treats the children to a view of a “lost Christmas tree in the wintertime”.

Now in its fourth growing season, both the homeowners and the landscape architect remain equally proud. “ I couldn’t be more pleased with the result,” said Bill. “Before, the backyard was unattractive and uninviting. There was nothing that beckoned one to explore. Now, Jim and Debbie have a garden, designed just for them, that they use every day, nearly year-round.”